The present invention generally relates to communication systems, and particularly to a communication method and communication system for the internet connected to communication terminals through the public network.
The internet based on TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) has come into world use rapidly. In the internet, the connected communication terminals are discriminated and controlled by means of IP address. One of the methods of specifying the communication terminal as a called party is to directly designate the called party by use of IP address. Another method is to once make access to a rendezvous server such as IRC (Internet Relay Chat) server, and select the called party. For example, see a document entitled "Internet Relay Chat Protocol", Network Working Group, Request for Comments: 1459, J. Oikarinen, D. Reed, May 1993.
When a communication terminal is selected as a called party to which an IP address is fixedly assigned as in the communication terminals of an intra-company network, communication can be started with ease by specifying the IP address of that terminal.
However, a dial-up type communication terminal is not connected to the internet through the public network until an IP address is assigned to that terminal by making access to the internet, and hence the IP address to be assigned is changed at each access. Therefore, when real time communication is performed relative to the terminal to be connected to the internet through the public network, it is necessary that the calling party makes access to the rendezvous server to which that terminal is connected, select the called party from the currently accessed list of communication terminals which is provided by the rendezvous server, and request the communication with the called party.